Massachusetts State Facts & Information

As of July 2024, Massachusetts has a population of approximately 7.1 million people (7,136,171). The state experienced its largest annual population increase in 60 years, growing by 69,603 residents from 2023 to 2024. Massachusetts ranks 16th nationally in population size.

Governor Maura Healey serves as the 73rd governor of Massachusetts, having taken office on January 5, 2023. She is the state's first elected female governor and, with Oregon's Tina Kotek, one of the first two openly lesbian women elected governor in U.S. history. Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll serves alongside her.

In 2024, Massachusetts' real GDP reached $633.6 billion, representing a 2.9% increase from 2023. The state's GDP per capita is $88,790, ranking 2nd highest nationally after New York. Massachusetts has a robust economy with strengths in high technology, healthcare, finance, biotechnology, and higher education.

Boston is the capital and most populous city of Massachusetts, with a population of 675,647 (2020 census). Founded in 1630, Boston is the third-most populous city in the Northeastern United States and serves as the cultural and financial center of New England. The Greater Boston metropolitan area has a population of 4.9 million as of 2023.

Massachusetts' state bird is the Black-Capped Chickadee (adopted 1941), the state flower is the Mayflower or Trailing Arbutus (adopted 1918), and the state tree is the American Elm (adopted 1941). The state motto is "Ense Petit Placidam Sub Libertate Quietem" (By the sword we seek peace, but peace only under liberty).

Massachusetts was admitted to statehood on February 6, 1788, becoming the 6th state to ratify the U.S. Constitution. It is one of the original thirteen colonies and is officially designated as a commonwealth, along with Virginia, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania.

Massachusetts is home to many American "firsts," including the first public school (1635), first subway system (1897), and oldest institution of higher learning (Harvard University, founded 1636). The state played a pivotal role in the American Revolution with events like the Boston Massacre and Boston Tea Party. General George Washington took command of the Continental Army under an elm tree in Cambridge in 1775.

The largest driver of Massachusetts' population increase from 2023 to 2024 is net immigration, estimated at 90,217 people. The state also saw more births (67,851) than deaths (61,133), contributing 6,718 to population growth. In 2024, the economy added 33,000 jobs and nearly 100,000 workers to the labor force, with unemployment consistently below the national average.